


by any other name

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: tumblr au meme [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, look i dont know why i do these things so yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 12:26:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8248924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: She grows up in an orphanage only to find she has a family, afterall. /once again too long for the collection but part of the au meme/





	

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: can i get more delphi in harry's year, finding out who her father is and having a struggle between joining the death eaters/ order (probably both and is spying on one for the other tbh)

1) A little girl from the orphanage, with a trunk full of magic, and a heart full of dreams.

1.1) “Do you think she’s on there, too?“Narcissa asks, softly, staring after the train that takes her son away to his first year at Hogwarts. Lucius squeezes her hand gently, glances around to make sure no one’s in earshot before saying,”I’m sure she is, love. I’m sure she’s fine.“

They never mention Delphie, not since they let the Aurors take her away without protest, to demonstrate just how lawabiding they were. They never managed to find out where they took her.

1.2) She was the odd one out in the orphanage. She doesn’t want to be the odd one out at Hogwarts, too. 

She’s read up on the school as much as she could manage in the few weeks since she found out it existed, so when she hears “Most of my family was in Hufflepuff, I guess I’ll be, too,“ she pushes the door open, smiles brightly, says,”Hi, can I sit here? Everywhere else is already full.“

It’s the nice house, as far as she could make out.

1.3) Professor Quirrel looks at her, intently, as if he isn’t quite sure what he’s seeing. As if he suspects she’s hiding something.

(She stopped changing her looks once she was old enough to understand she was actually doing it, once she heard the minders mutter about ‘that little freak’ and realised that was her.

She’s asked Professor Sprout, though, and it turns out it’s not freaky, she’s just a Metamorphmagus. She still doesn’t use it, though, because the professor said it was very rare, and she doesn’t like getting attention.)

2) There’s friends waiting for her, and the train to carry her back home.

2.1) “You’ll be next, mudbloods.“

The words make everything inside her turn to ice. Hogwarts was supposed to be her safe haven, the home she always wanted.

But she doesn’t know what she is, so neither can anyone else, and that might put her on the list. And even if it isn’t her, it’s someone.

(They say Hogwarts was almost closed the last time. She scolds herself for that being her first thought, her instinctive worry.)

2.2) “Hey, Harry, wait up!“

He turns around, half-guarded, half-glare, and she stops a few feet away awkwardly.”Uh, can I have a word?“

“Why?“he wants to know. Everyone’s been making snide comments or actually fears him, but this girl he’s shared a handful of classes and barely a full conversation with, doesn’t seem to be interested in either.

“Because,“she says, simply, in Parseltongue. They talk for hours about how they have no idea where they got it, how they don’t know what it might mean, how it’s unfair people thing it makes someone evil.

(Neither of them notices that they’ve been overheard. Draco writes home to complain that some boring little Hufflepuff is now somehow a Parselmouth, too, and how come they’re sprouting all over, and how should he find the real heir, then? And can’t Father just tell him who did it last time? And he needs more candy, please.)

2.3) There’s whispers in the walls, sometimes, and they say bad things, but she isn’t scared. It doesn’t feel angry, or vicious, it feels like it needs something, needs someone, and she’s felt like that for eleven years. (Still feels like that, if she’s honest.)

“Let me kill,“the voice begs, and she whispers back without thinking, without noticing it’s hissing that flows from her lips,”Not yet. Be patient. You’ll be fine.“

(When the rumours about the Basilisk, about Harry killing it, start flying about, she feels a bit sad for the poor snake. Trapped and alone for so long.)

3) A face in the papers, and a shudder down her back.

3.1) She and Harry are friends, sort of, since she told him her secret. But there’s so much excitement in third year and so much else going on, they don’t really do much more than say hi in the corridors and sometimes partner up in classes.

3.2) Sirius Black stares back at her from posters in shop windows, from across the breakfast table as Cedric flips over his Daily Prophet. She shivers everytime his eyes lock on her.

She’s scared. Like everyone else. Or atleast she thinks so, until she notices it’s not an entirely bad feeling. There’s some excitement, there.

Because she knows those eyes. They look back at her from the mirror.

3.3) The Dark Mark over summer might mean nothing, or it might mean everything. Narcissa decides it’s time for Draco to know about his cousin, and that they suspect they’ve found her.

4) Something is coming, but she doesn’t know yet.

4.1) They’d been terrified when Amelia told them to run for the woods. Retelling it now, eating pastries on the train, she and Susan think it was quite the adventure. No one died; it wasn’t real. Not really _real_.

They’ll changes their tunes by the end of the year.

(But first they have to bicker over whether Cedric could outfly Krum, whether Cedric is a better duelist than Delacour, whether Cedric should even take Potter seriously as competition.

Someone remarks that at least they don’t have to debate whether Cedric is the best looking champion, because that’s obvious.

“Uhm, Fleur?”Justin says at the same time as she says it. Her blush is far, far more scarlet than his.)

4.2) “Hey, d’you want one?“Draco asks, holding out the badge to her. Pansy looks at him as if he’s gone mad, and she rather feels the same. Draco Malfoy has never spoken to her directly before. (He has looked at her since the term started, though, always trying to catch her eye. It’s unnerving.)

She glances at the badge.”Uh, no thanks. They’re kinda mean.“

“You can just leave it on _Support Cedric Diggory_ ,“he pushes, taking her hand and pushing the badge into it.”No harm in that, right? I mean, he’s in your house and all.“

“I guess not,“she admits. He smiles. Actually smiles, not smirks. That’s pretty unnerving, too. He turns to leave.”Great. I’ll see you around, then.“

(”Was he hitting on you?“Susan asks, bewildered. Megan squeals with excitement, and Hannah can’t contain her giggles. She just stares down at the badge in her hand in confusion, then back over to the Slytherins. Draco is looking her way, but it’s Pansy who catches her eye. She shrugs a little, gives the tiniest hint of a smile.

Maybe that should be unnerving aswell, but it’s actually pretty nice.)

4.3) Blaise Zabini stops her on their way out of Charms.“Hey.“

“Hey,“she echoes, glancing over his shoulder at Pansy and Draco, both watching eagerly. He clears his throat, smiles politely.”Would you accompany me to the Yule Ball?“

The question stuns her, for a moment. But the chances of Fleur noticing her are somewhere around zero, she figures. And Blaise is undeniably the most handsome boy in their grade. So she nods.”Yeah. I’d like that.“

(She was going to wear the second-hand robes she picked up over summer, but Pansy says,”Mother’s breaking me and Daph out for some shopping this weekend, you should come,“ like it’s something they just _do_ , and she doesn’t think twice about going along. She shouldn’t be able to afford it, but there’s more money in the vault Hannah’s dad helped her set up, and the Goblins insist they do not make mistakes.

She feels like a princess on Blaise’s arm, with Daphne’s lipstick and Pansy’s necklace and Susan’s clever fingers having twisted her curls into a braid akin to a circlet.

She feels like the queen of the world when Pansy kisses her between the rosebushes, all giggles and blushes and not a thought for the boys they left back inside.)

5) A family is all she’s ever wanted. Giving up a few ideals along the way seems like a reasonable price to pay.

5.1) She’s barely back to the orphanage when the matron tells her to pack her things.

“Your aunt is here to pick you up,“she says briskly. As much as she wants to believe it, she can’t.”But I don’t have an aunt.“

The matron shrugs.”Seems you do. Took her years to find you, apparently. Some screw up in the system somewhere.“

She’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she grabs her things and walks into the hall.

”Mrs Malfoy?“ She stops in her tracks, dumbfounded. The woman reahces out, hand shaking slightly, and brushes her hair away from her face.”Oh, Delphie. It’s you. It really is.“

She thinks Narcissa would cry, if she weren’t the stoic pureblooded scion of the House of Black that she is.

She very nearly cries when she gets to meet her Father the very same day. Maybe she should think _Cedric’s dead because of you_ , but there’s no room left for the boy that pulled her out of the trick step when she got stuck on her second day, not when her heart is pounding _Father, Father, I have a father_ , not when she is offered a family, and a name, and belonging.

(“Delphie,“the girl whispers into the darkness of her new room that night.”Delphinus Bellatrix Gaunt.“

The name tastes like home on her tongue. She can’t believe she survived so long without knowing it.)

5.2) She joins the DA, and signs Granger’s paper with the phoney name the Ministry stuck her with, and tells Father all about Potter’s little club, and nothing happens. Even when being devious Gryffindors are just too straight-forward.

(She uses the Room of Requirement to snog Pansy senseless every opportunity they get. She may be a double agent now, but she’s still a teenager.)

5.3) Mother is vicious, and fierce, and might just be mad. But she recognises Delphie before she can even utter a word, and there’s such love in her eyes that nothing else could possible even begin to matter.

(Draco gets embarrassed when Aunt Cissa calls him petnames and dotes on him. Delphie soaks up everything her mother gives her like she’s dying and _sweetheart_ is the cure.)

6) All’s fair in love and war. You can’t betray those who never really knew you.

6.1) Amelia was always nice to her. But now she’s dead, and Delphie has no words of comfort for Susan. Her aunt was an obstacle.

Father said it was necessary. Mother said Bones would want her Kissed if ever the Ministry got the chance.

Delphie doesn’t know if that is true. She doesn’t mind that they didn’t wait to find out.

(Just and loyal. No one ever said what to.)

6.2) Father agrees to let her keep spying because Potter doesn’t trust Snape. Delphie agrees because Mother doesn’t trust Snape.

There’s not a lot to be gained, except that Dumbledore is teaching Potter something, which isn’t really anything at all.

(She’s forbidden from helping Draco. But she does tell him she won’t let Father kill Aunt Cissa. She’s not sure he believes her. She less sure whether he doubts her ability or intention.)

6.3) Her DA coin tells her they know something’s coming. But there is no stopping things now. She runs into the fray. Blows her cover to keep a stray curse from hitting Uncle Rod. Doesn’t care for even a second, alive with the rush the battle gives her, all wild laughter and fast wandwork.

7) The truth: Nothing is fair in war.

7.1) There is no more hiding this year. Not her name, not the Parseltongue she wields like a weapon, not Pansy’s hand in hers.

(Amycus hands Longbottom over to her one day, for some petty misdeed she wont’t remember the next week. She’s never seen such hatred before.

She wets her lips, shakes out her wild, ebony curls, and decides to make Mother proud.

“Well, seems the universe has a sense of humour,“she sneers, wand pointed at him, Mother’s voice echoing in her mind, _You have to mean them, darling, or they won’t work_.)

7.2) Mother is only toying with the Weasley woman. She’s underestimating her.

Hasn’t seen what Fred and George could do with enough willpower and disregard for rules. Hasn’t seen the walking wave of destruction that is all five foot nothing of Ginny. Doesn’t see this woman as a Prewett, as a force to be reckoned with.

Delphie knows Mother will be peeved if she cuts in. But she spent fifteen years without a family, and she will not do it again.

“Not my mother, you bitch!“ The words fall from her lips as Molly Weasley falls to the ground.

(Fair play looks different. But kindness and tolerance went out of the window years ago, so she doesn’t care. Mother’s still breathing, Mother’s still fighting, Mother’s laughing with the thrill of battle, and nothing else matters, and they’re side by side as the Weasleys try for vengeance.)

7.3) The feast that follows the Final Battle is a grand affair. Father’s king of this world now, and she supposes that makes her a princess.

(She has her own lipstick, her own necklace, and her own mother to fix her hair. She still sneaks of with Pansy to neck in the bushes.)

**Author's Note:**

> she's too young for the order so i tweaked it


End file.
